Today I decided to create a new profile by starting from scratch, that is, re-entering basic information via Device/Setup Device. I did this very precisely, even to the point of measuring the actual circumference of my rear tire with a tape. In addition I zeroed my DFPM (Quarq) yesterday and calibrated its slope using the Quarq utility, Qalvin, and following precisely the Quarq recommended protocol for this. BTW I do this regularly using Qalvin, and the factory calibrations have changed little since I purchased the unit more than two years ago.
As I reported in my previous post, the first problem I ran into was that the Newton+ would not exit from Calibration after my 10 minute out/back ride. This was in spite of turning it off and on several time and trying to exit from different screens. The only thing that worked was a hard reset.
I then checked the new profile in Isaac. All the details of the new profile were within the guidelines for profile ranges as posted by Velocomp in this Forum, so I figured I was good to go. I then set out to do a longish ride that was also an out-and-back (12+ miles) and then to use that with Check Calibration against my DFPM, as recommended by John.
Here are some results:
1. The needle on the Change-o-Meter was all the way to the right in the red zone.
2. Isaac informed me that my tilt calibration was invalid and that I should do another one before trying this again. Of course, I can no longer do this with the new firmware. Prior to Check Calibration, the tilt was -0.7, and afterwards it was -1.2.
3. Two other parameters recommended for change as a result of Check Calibration were outside the recommended guidelines for profile ranges: (a.) Wind Scaling--recommendation is 1.3 to 4.5, prior to Check Cal it was 2.2, and after Check Cal it was 1.259; and (b.) Friction--recommendation is 3.0 to 17, prior to Check Cal it was 12.570, and after Check Cal it was 17.742.
4. Finally I compared some statistics that would seem to indicate to me that my devices are giving me usable data:
- a. Isaac before Check Cal with View DFPM turned off--Average Power = 282.2, IF = 1.6, TSS = 194
b. Isaac after Check Cal with View DFPM turned off--Average Power = 167.8, IF = .83, TSS = 52
c. Isaac after Check Cal with View DFPM turned on--Average Power = 182.6, IF = .83, TSS = 53
d. DFPM (Quarq) recorded by Garmin 800 and viewed in WKO+--Average Power = 169, IF = .783, TSS = 63.8
Can someone at Velocomp look at this and give me their interpretation? At this point, I'm highly inclined to trust my DFPM more than Newton+, especially because I have a utlity (Qalvin) that independently checks precisely to make sure the components are working properly.